The count sheet: layout, numbering and issue control

On count day the count sheet is the most important tool: it records who counted what and where, and later it is the document on which evaluation and auditor rely. Even so, it is often printed from a spreadsheet at the last minute, without numbers, without room for signatures and without anyone knowing how many sheets were issued. If a sheet is missing at the end, nobody can say whether it was lost or never used. This article shows how a reliable count sheet is built.

Mandatory details on every sheet

Each sheet carries in its header:

• a pre-printed, consecutive sheet number,
• the count zone and the type of count (first or second count),
• date and time of start and finish,
• names and functions of the counters,
• the page number, for example "page 2 of 3".

The table section contains bin location, item number, description, unit, counted quantity and a column for remarks such as "carton opened" or "damaged". At the bottom are the counters' signatures and, for a second count, an additional field for the count leader. Choose a format that can be worked on standing in front of the rack: landscape, generous line height, one clipboard per team.

With or without book stock?

For the first count a blind sheet is recommended: bin location and item are pre-printed, the target quantity is absent. This prevents the team from "counting to fit". An advantage of pre-printed items is completeness, since empty lines stand out. To capture unknown goods too, every sheet contains a few free lines for items that lie on the bin but are not on the sheet. Such cases are usually the most interesting ones. For pallets with mixed goods the sheet should also have a column for the number of packages and the quantity per package, so that the calculation stays traceable, for example 14 cartons of 12 pieces each.

Numbering and issue control

Every sheet is entered in an issue log when it is handed out: sheet number, count zone, team, time of issue and of return. At the end of the count the balance must be right: sheets issued equal completed plus unused plus cancelled sheets.

A fictional example: 120 sheets were printed, numbered 001 to 120. Back come 104 completed, 9 unused and 5 cancelled sheets, 118 in all. Two sheets are missing (120 − 118 = 2). Before the count counts as complete, these two numbers must be found or their whereabouts explained. The count leader does this on count day, while the teams can still be reached.

Whether the sheet is kept on paper or on a tablet makes no difference in principle. Digitally too, each sheet needs an identifier, a person responsible and an unalterable time stamp. Keep the original sheets even if the data has already been entered into a spreadsheet. The sheet on which the counting was done is the one that counts.

Corrections on the sheet

Wrongly entered quantities are not rubbed out, not overwritten and not treated with correction fluid. The wrong value is struck through once, cleanly, the correct one is written next to it and initialled with the time. Writing in pencil leaves the sheet open to challenge. Use document-proof ballpoint pens and issue them, so that nobody works with their own pen.

Working language of the sheet

Column headings and the short instruction on the sheet should be in the language of the counters. If the team speaks Russian or Uzbek, a bilingual header is worthwhile. Take item descriptions as they appear on the shelf and in the system, so that nobody has to translate names.

In short

A good count sheet is consecutively numbered, blind for the first count, issued without gaps and corrected in a traceable way. AuditMaster works with numbered count sheets per count zone and delivers them together with the inventory record, also as a scan on request.